Apparatus for distributing and controlling a heat carrier

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an apparatus for distributing and controlling a heat carrier which originates from a heat and/or cold source, in particular hot and/or cold water, which is supplied to heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces in rooms of a building, wherein the feed of the heat and/or cold source issues into a feed chamber from which the feeds of the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces branch off, wherein the returns of the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces issue into a return chamber of the apparatus, from which return chamber the return of the heat and/or cold source emanates, and wherein in particular a controlled decentralized pump is in each case arranged in the feeds and/or returns of the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces.

The invention relates to an apparatus for distributing and controlling a heat-exchange medium coming from a heater and/or cooler, in particular hot and/or cold water that is supplied to heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces in rooms of a building.

To heat or to cool rooms of a building, in particular a residence, complex installations are known with many individual components such as pumps, fans, control valves, bypasses, mixers, check valves, control devices and the like. This leads to a considerable manufacturing and installation expenditure with numerous line connections, also increasing the likelihood of defects and malfunctions. Also thermostats are attached to each heating body of a room, which further increases the manufacturing and installation expenditure and can create operating errors. Furthermore, undesirable reciprocal hydraulic influences frequently occur.

The object of the invention is to create an apparatus of the type mentioned above, which with low manufacturing and installation expenditure and with a small number of parts and with a small space requirement ensures an optimal supply of the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces of a building, in particular of a residence or of an office.

This object is attained according to the invention in that the heater and/or cooler is fed into an intake chamber from which the outputs to the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces branch off, that the return lines from the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces open into an output chamber of the apparatus from which the return of the heater and/or cooler emanates, and that in particular a controlled decentralized pump is arranged in the supply lines and/or return lines from the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces.

A compact distributor of this type has all essential parts, such as:

Distribution pumps, central pump, in particular mixing pump, check valves, sensors, control unit (master), switched mode power supply, an electronic assembly for several pumps, integrated motor controller, optionally in an assembly (a printed circuit board), filter, air bleeder, modular design (function can be established on-site by simple conversion) can be expanded by simple addition of further distributors, of small space requirement. The installation expenditure is much reduced, the number of components is low, mass production and the use of cost-effective materials is possible and the line losses in the electric lines as well as in the hydraulic lines are low.

Through the compact, highly integrated design, a simple installation is possible with low line and wiring expenditure. A minimum water circulation is guaranteed and as a rule check valves are not needed. The central pump can be controlled according to requirements and a simple flow control is possible via rotation speed. Moreover, an optimal accessibility for maintenance is given, in particular when the device is arranged outside a residence or office.

Particularly advantageous embodiments with regard to the pumps, in particular with respect to the above-described advantages, are detailed in claims 2 through 9.

An extremely compact design is achieved if the intake chamber and output chamber are arranged inside the same housing and/or body of the apparatus. The intake chamber and output chamber can hereby be formed by one housing in that a partition separates the intake chamber and output chamber from one another.

A safe flow direction is achieved if check valves are provided in the return lines from the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces.

To this end, a check valve can also be provided in the return line of the heater and/or cooler.

An embodiment with a particularly favorable control in terms of heat engineering is created if, for adding cooler heat-exchange medium from the output chamber into the intake chamber, the two chambers are directly connected to one another via an opening in particular as a mixing compartment. To this end it is particularly advantageous if a central pump or a mixing pump is provided inside the apparatus for conveying the heat-exchange medium coming from the intake line from the heater and/or cooler, so that very precise control is possible with low energy expenditure. The central pump or mixing pump can hereby pump the heat-exchange medium into a mixing zone between the output chamber and the intake chamber in particular via an internal passage provided in the apparatus. It is also advantageous if a valve is provided inside the apparatus for controlling the supply to the heater and/or cooler.

A structurally particularly simple modular design is achieved if the apparatus is divided into two or more modules in a modular manner, each module having an intake chamber, an output chamber, connections for the lines to and from the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces and in particular an internal passage to the mixing zone.

In another embodiment it is proposed for the apparatus to be divided in a modular manner into two or more modules, the lines to and from the heater and/or cooler being connected to one module. A modular design of this type renders possible a simple removal as well as conversion on-site. In the case of a small space requirement, further distributors can be added.

The device can thus be used as a distributor, as hydraulic shunt(s) and/or as mixing pump(s).

It is preferably proposed that an electric component with electric connections and electronic parts for controlling the pumps be provided in or on the apparatus. Temperature and/or pressure sensors can be hereby provided in and/or on the apparatus, which sensors are connected to the electric component.

It is particularly advantageous if one apparatus for distribution and control is provided for each residential or office unit. It is also a major advantage if the secondary circuits attached to the intake chamber are each connected to one, two or more heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces of a room.

A simple assembly as well as a simple replacement of modules and parts is achieved if the connections of the lines guiding the heat-exchange medium are detachable in particular releasable couplings.

It is particularly advantageous if at least one device for energy-quantity detection, in particular heat-quantity detection is provided so that no additional devices, in particular thermostats, are necessary for this purpose on the heating bodies.

Illustrated embodiments of the invention are shown schematically in the drawings in longitudinal sections and are described in more detail below. Therein:

FIG. 1 shows the apparatus with intake chamber and output chamber separated from one another without support pump,

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment with connected intake chamber and output chamber and with a mixing function via a mixing pump,

FIG. 3 shows a modular design with hydraulic shunt and mixing function,

FIG. 4 shows a modular design with double mixing function and double arrangement of electric/electronic components.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has an elongated housing 1 that is subdivided longitudinally by a partition 2 into a longitudinally extending intake chamber (manifold chamber) 3 and an output chamber 4 extending parallel thereto. Both chambers 3 and 4 can extend over the entire length of the housing 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, however, the intake chamber 3 is shorter in order to provide space for an intake line 5 and an output line 6 of a primary circuit, in which a heater, in particular a boiler, and/or a cooler is located. The intake line 5 is connected to a compartment 8 via a releasable coupling 7 and a filter 9 provided in a compartment 8 from which the heat-exchange medium coming from the heater and/or cooler reaches the intake chamber 3 via an opening 10. A valve can also be provided instead of the opening 10. Furthermore, at least one air bleed can be provided on the top of the housing.

The supply lines 11 that lead to heating bodies and/or cooling bodies or heating and/or cooling radiator surfaces H branch out from the intake chamber 3. After the heat-exchange medium has flowed through them, the heat-exchange medium is pumped back again via respective return lines 12 that open into the output chamber 4. The supply lines 11 and the return lines 12 are in turn connected to the apparatus or to the housing 1 via releasable couplings 7. A respective decentralized distributor pump 13 is provided at the upstream end of each supply line and in the illustrated embodiment on the side of the releasable coupling 7 facing toward the intake chamber, which distributor pump draws the heat-exchange medium out of the intake chamber 3 and pumps it into the respective supply line. Each secondary circuit leading to the heating and/or cooling body or surface H thus has its own decentralized pump 13, so that thermostats are not necessary on the heat exchangers or the heating and/or cooling bodies or surfaces H, instead due to their control these decentralized pumps bring the necessary quantity of the heat-exchange medium to the respective heating and/or cooling body or surface H.

Check valves 15 [14] are provided in the return lines 12, in particular at the point at which they open into the output chamber 4 that check valves ensure that the heat-exchange medium does not flow back into the return lines, but instead reaches the heater or cooler from the output chamber in the return line 6 of the primary circuit.

An electrical controller box 15 is attached with electric or electronic components and a voltage supply via electric connections on one side, in particular an end, at one end of the housing 1. The entire apparatus with its individual parts, in particular the distributor pumps 13, is controlled via the device. To this end, a pressure and/or flow sensor 16 and three temperature sensors 17, 18 and 19 are provided in the compartment 8 in the intake chamber 3 and in the output chamber 4. The distributor pumps 13 are controlled according to the values recorded there. Further temperature sensors can also be provided in the secondary circuits. A pressure-differential measuring instrument (not shown) can also be provided between the intake line 5 and the output line 6.

When one or more distributor pumps 13 starts, the fluid or the heat-exchange medium flows from the primary circuit 5, 6 into the intake compartment 8 of the distributor and from there via the opening 10 or a valve into the intake chamber 3. From there the secondary circuits 11 and 12 whose pumps 13 are operating are fed the medium. Subsequently the medium reaches the output chamber 4 and from there flows into the primary circuit again. Due to the check valves at the end of the return lines 12, backflow and thermal recirculation are prevented.

The embodiment according to FIG. 2 differs from that of FIG. 1 essentially in that the intake chamber 3 is connected to the output chamber 4 via a bypass opening 20 that in the illustrated embodiment is provided at one end of the interior of the apparatus. However, alternatively this opening can also be provided at different locations. Due to this connection of the two chambers, a partial mixing of the heat-exchange medium or medium of both chambers 3 and 4 occurs. This opening 20 is also given an additional mixing function, due to a passage 21 extending into the bypass area, which passage is connected to the intake line 5 via the compartment 8. The heat-exchange medium of the intake line 5 of the primary circuit thus does not reach the intake chamber 3 via the opening 10 as in the illustrated embodiment according to FIG. 1, but instead via the longitudinal passage 21 to the opening 20 that forms a mixing compartment there. This ensures that only as much heated or cooled liquid reaches the supply lines 11 as is necessary, that is, the decentralized distributor pumps 13 do not pump the medium of the intake line 5 unmixed into the supply lines 11, but in mixed condition.

A central pump serving as a mixing pump 22 is located between the intake compartment 8 and the longitudinal passage 21 and ensures how much medium or heat-exchange medium flows via the passage 21 to the opening 20 or mixing compartment. This pump 22 is in turn controlled via the electronics in the box 15, in particular using the provided sensors.

When one or more distributor pumps 13 (one or more distributor pumps 13 can hereby also be shut down to zero) start, the medium flows out of the intake compartment 8 through the secondary circuits into the output chamber 4 of the distributor. There is no flow through the primary circuit 5, 6 as long as the mixing pump 22 is switched off. After the mixing pump 22 has been switched on, only as much medium is fed from the primary circuit to the secondary circuit until, for example, a predetermined mixing temperature has been reached. This is also interesting in particular with combined systems such as radiator plus radiant panel heating with different requirements regarding the supply temperature. A separate mixer can be dispensed with because of the mixing pump 22.

The distributor is modular in the embodiments according to FIGS. 3 and 4, in which individual housing parts respectively form a distributor area 1 a with supply lines 11 and return lines 12, two or more of these distributor areas being attached to one another. As a rule one distributor area is used per residence, per office or per residential area or office area. At one free end a distributor area 1 a is closed by a closure 1 b, and at the other end a connection area 1 c is connected as a separate housing so that the intake compartment 8 forms the connection to the intake chamber 3 and the connection to the output chamber 4, and at which furthermore intake line 5 and output line 6 of the primary circuit are connected. The connection area 1 c needs to be attached, in particular screwed, by its housing only to the housing of the distributor area 1 a in order to form a complete distributor. The longitudinal passage 21 supplied via the pump 22 is connected to the longitudinal passage 21 of the second distributor area la connected on the left in FIG. 3, so that the second distributor area is also supplied via the pump 22. Furthermore, the box 15 with the electrical and electronic control components is attached to the housing of the connection area 1 c on the side facing away from the areas 1 a.

Modular structure of this type leads to a high flexibility and adaptability. Thus in FIG. 4 an embodiment is shown in which on both ends of the connection area 1 c one distributor area 1 a is connected with a respective separate electrical or electronic box 15 attached on the respective outer free end, in particular on the closure part 1 b, so that the secondary circuits of the one distributor area 1 a can be differently controlled with respect to the secondary circuits of the other distributor area la.

Two pumps are shown in the connection area 1 c. The upper pump 22 serves as mixing pump into the passage 21 with the above-described function, and the pump 26 located beneath it pumps from the intake line 5 directly into the intake chamber 3, so that the connection area 1 c can work as in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 as well as alternatively as in the embodiment according to FIG. 2. Due to the pressure of the pump 26, the decentralized pumps 13 are not influenced by the pressure loss of the primary circuit 5, 6.

A blocking element can be hereby provided in the opening area 20 between the chambers 3 and 4 at the point 27, which blocking element can also work as a valve, so that either the two chambers 3 and 4 are completely separated from one another or more or less have a connection to one another. This blocking element or valve 27 like all other valves can also be controlled via the electronics in the box 15.

To arrange the pumps in or on the apparatus, the following embodiments are possible:

The pumps 13, 22, 26 are provided inside the housing 1 of the apparatus.

The pumps 13 are provided at the connection point of the supply lines and/or return lines 11 and 12 with the housing 1.

The pumps 13 are provided at the upstream ends of the supply lines and/or return lines 11 and 12.

The pumps 13 are provided in the area of the releasable coupling of the supply lines and/or return lines 11 and 12 with the housing and/or the chambers 3 and 4.

The pumps 13 are provided on the side of the releasable coupling 7 facing the intake chamber and/or output chamber 3 and 4.

The pumps 13 are provided in the supply and/or return lines, in particular in the supply lines and/or return lines 11 and 12.

The pumps 13 are provided on or inside the housing wall.

The pumps 13 are provided on the inside wall or outside wall of the housing wall.

In the illustrated embodiments shown the housings of the distributor and in particular also of the distributor areas and of the connection areas are elongated. However, these housings can also instead have other shapes and in particular be box-shaped, square or circularly flat shaped. This does not change the construction features and functions previously described.

In the distributor and control device according to the invention in one further embodiment (not shown) measuring instruments, in particular sensors, are provided for detecting energy quantities in particular heat quantities, used by the consumers. To this end it is sufficient per se to use the control values of the individual distributor pumps 13 in the calculation. However, sensors can also be provided in the secondary circuits and in particular in the distributor pumps 13. 

1. An apparatus for distributing and controlling a heat-exchange medium coming from a heater and/or cooler, wherein the intake line of the heater and/or cooler opens into an intake chamber from which the supply lines of the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces branch off, the returns from the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces open into an output chamber of the apparatus into which the return from the heater and/or cooler opens, and in particular respective controlled decentralized pumps are provided in the supply lines and/or returns of the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pumps are provided inside the housing of the apparatus.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pumps are provided at the junction where the supply lines and/or return lines join the housing.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pumps are provided at the housing end of the supply lines and/or return lines.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pumps are provided in the area of the releasable coupling of the supply lines and/or return lines with the housing and/or the chambers.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pumps are provided on a side of the releasable coupling facing toward the intake chamber or output chamber.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the pumps are provided in the supplies and/or returns, in particular in the supply lines and/or return lines.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the pumps are provided on or inside the housing wall.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the pumps are provided on an inside surface or outside surface of the housing wall.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the intake chamber and output chamber are provided inside the same housing and/or body of the apparatus.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the intake chamber and output chamber are formed by a housing in that a partition separates the intake chamber and output chamber from one another.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein check valves are provided in the return lines of the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a check valve is provided in the intake line from the heater and/or cooler.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein for adding cooler heat-exchange medium from the output chamber into the intake chamber, the two chambers being directly connected to one another via an opening in particular as a mixing compartment.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a central pump or a mixing pump is provided inside the apparatus for pumping the heat-exchange medium coming from the intake line of the heater and/or cooler.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the central pump or mixing pump pumps the heat-exchange medium into a mixing zone between the output chamber and the intake chamber in particular via an internal passage provided in the apparatus.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a valve is provided inside the apparatus for controlling the intake line of the heater and/or cooler.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein it is divided into two or more modules in a modular manner, each module having an intake chamber, an output chamber, connections for the supply lines and return lines to the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces and in particular an internal passage to the mixing zone.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein it is divided into two or more modules in a modular manner, the intake line and output of the heater and/or cooler being connected to one of the modules.
 20. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein an electric component with electric connections and electronic parts for controlling the pumps is provided in or on the apparatus.
 21. The apparatus according to claim 20 wherein temperature and/or pressure sensors are provided in and/or on the apparatus, which sensors are connected to the electric component.
 22. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein one apparatus for distribution and control is provided for each residential or office unit.
 23. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the secondary circuits attached to the intake chamber are respectively connected to one, two or more heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces of a room.
 24. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the connections of the lines guiding the heat-exchange medium are detachable.
 25. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one device for energy- or heat-quantity detection is provided.
 26. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the decentralized pumps can be controlled separately from one another, according to demand at the heating and/or cooling bodies and/or surfaces. 